Handle structure for carriers



May 13, 1954 w. A. RINGLER 2,678,751

HANDLE sTRUcTURE FOR CARRIERs 2 Sheejs-Sheet l Filed June 125 1950 ..|l||||`l 6, 12649, WH 16 14' H LLMM 'ZM-Ef,

ATTORNEYS.

May 18, 1954 w. R'NGLER 2,678,751

HANDLE STRUCTURE FOR cARRIERs Filed June 13. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIE-.12.

JNVENTOR. MLMM 14.' ///VGLE/f,

RT'I'ORNEYS.

Patented May 18, 1954 FFiCE William A. Ringler, Wayne, Pa.,

Gardner Board and Carton Co.,

assignor to The Middletown,

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 13, 1950, Serial No. 167,808

2 Claims.

This is a continuation-in-part of my copending application of the same title, Serial No. 142,139, filed February 3, 195G, now abandoned.

My invention relates to paperboard carriers, Widely used in the merchandising and transportation of sales units of filled bottles, of the type having a paperboard body and a wire handle. lt has hitherto been found that the employment of Wire handle elements in connection with paperboard carriers has certain advantages. In the merchandising of soft drinks, it has now become a recognized practice to locate a plurality of paperboard bottle carriers in a bottle crate and to load the filled bottles into the carriers at the bottling plant by the use of automatic machinery. Considerable economies can be effeeted in this way. For example, it is customary to place four six-bottle carriers into a crate having a single transverse and a single longitudinal partiton, and load of all these carriers simultaneously. When the crate is delivered to the retail store, it may be furnished to the customer as such, or the individual sales units may be separately sold by simply lifting the carriers from the crate.

The filled bottles are introduced into the cell spaces of the carriers through sets of spring fingers which are caused to enter the tops of the cells and are withdrawn after the bottles have been introduced. It is essential in such an operation that the paperboard carrier be devoid of parts liable to displacement in such a fashion as would interfere with the operation of the spring finger asseinblies. Thus carriers having long paperboard handles tending to become defiected laterally have not been matic leading. The recent development of various styles of fully partitioned bottle carriers, wherein lateral partition elements maintain the position of a longitudinal partiton element when the carrier is erected but empty, has made possible the automatic loading of paperboard carriers. The carriers may take a variety of forms ranging from one in which the central longitudinal partiton does not rise above the tops of the side and end wall members, and in which an elongated wire handle is employed, to a form in which the longitudinal partiton rises to or substantially to the tops of the bottles and in which a shorter wire handle is employed. Where it is desired to Stack filled carriers one upon another, or to Stack the filled carrier crates one upon another, the paperboard longitudinal partiton element will not rise above the tops of the bottles.

While it is possible to carry a filled bottle carrier by means of a hand grip or finger grip which found suitable for autois below the tops of the bottles, this is not desirable per se for reasons including njury to the knuokles of the user by the sharp edges of the caps on the bottles. Wire handle elements having such engagement with a paperboard carrier, usually with a central longitudinal partiton thereof, as will permit the bail part of the handle to move from a position 'well above the tops of the bottles to a position at or below the level of the bottle tops, have hitherto been suggested.

Wire handle elements, however, present their own problems in connection with automatic filling machines. If a Wire handle can accidentally become dislodged from the central partiton, it can prevent the automatic filling of a carrier and it may damage both the carrier and the machine. A wire handle which can pivot with respect to the central partiton can fall into the path of the spring fingers and illed bottles and can similarly damage both the machine and the carrier.

The problem is further complicated by the growing use of carrier-unloading machines. In these machines a pair of bar-like elements, one on each side of the handle structure, are brought into engagernent with the carrier and serve to hold the carrier down while empty bottles are withdrawn upwardly from its cells by grippers on the machine. The hold-down elements are passed longitudinally over the end walls and lateral partitions of the carrier, and since they must be so positioned as not to interfere with the withdrawal of the bottles, they must lie very close to the handle structure. Any slightest tilting or displacement of a wire handle element will interfere with the use of the machine.

It is an object of my invention to provide a type of wire handle for use with a paperboard bottle carrier which is not subject to tilting with respect to the central longitudinal partiton with which it is engaged, irrespective of the position of the handle.

It is an object of my invention to provide a Wire handle element which is not subject to accidental disengagement from its bottle carrier.

It is an object of my invention to provide a wire handle having the advantages set forth above which, nevertheless, is readily slidable or movable in a Vertical plane with respect to the carrier from a high position in which the bail portion of the handle is above the tops of the bottles to a low position which will facilitate stacking.

It is an object of my invention to provide a handle for paperboard carriers in which the above advantages are attained but which, nevertheless, can be made with longer or shorter legs so as to be adaptable to varying styles of carrier irrespective of the specific height of the central partition.

These and other objects of my invention, which will be set forth hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, I accomplish in that structure and arrangement of parts, of which I shall now describe an exemplary embodiment.

Reference is made to the accornpanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an exemplary paperboard carrier equipped with the handle of my invention in its preferred'form.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the handle and adjacent parts of the carrier Figure 4 is a partial elevational view illustrat'- ing an action of my handle element in preventing accidental dislodgement.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the preferred form of my handle element.

Figures 6, 7 and 3 are partial elevational views showing the engagement of my handle with various forms of longitudinal partitions in paperboard carriers.

Figure 9 is a partial elevational view of my handle illustrating on an enlarged scale the configuration of the ends of the legs.

Figure 10 is an elevational view of another type of handle serving the purposes of my invention, in engagement with an exemplary carrier.

Figure ll is an elevational view of the handle, forming part of the combination shown in Figure 10 Figure 12 is anelevational view of yet another type of handle serving the purposes of my invention, in engagement with an exemplary carrier.

Figure 13 is an elevational view of the handle, forming part of the combination of Figure 12.

Briefiy in the practice of my invention, I provide handle structures (comprising a bell portion, depending legs, and engagement means atthe ends of the legs)v designed for sliding attachment to a longitudinal partition element of a-paperboard bottle carrier in such-a way that the bailV portion of the handle crosses the longitudinal partition slantwise, with the legs lying respectively to either side of the partition, the parts being so configured as to maintain gagement of the handle and the partition irrespective of the position of the handle, as will hereinafter be more fully explained. Various forms of handle may be employed, of which I shall describe several exemplary ones.

Referring first to Figure 5, I have there shown my Wire handle element as comprising a bail portion I, at the ends of which depending legs 3 and 4 are provided. The lower ends of these legs are reversely bent, as at 5 and 6. As will be evident in the various figures, the lower portions of the legs proper and their reversely bentportions are concur'rently curved first outwardly and then inward1y,'as'il1ustrated at 6a and Bb `in Figure 9, the lower ends of the l'egs and their reversely bent' portions remaining in substantial parallelism.`

For convenience in terminology; it may be pointed out that reversely bending the ends of the legs, as hereinabove described, forms what I shall call hook portions as will be seen at 5a in Figure 2, while 'the outward and inward concurrent bending of the ends of the legs' and their reversely bent'portions, as illustrated in the several figures, forms'what VI 'shall call defi'e'ctions."

the interen- The ends of the legs are bent reversely in opposite directions, as will be apparent from Figures 4 and 5.

In Figure 1, I have illustrated a particular form of paperboard carrier as exemplary, this being the carrier described and claimed as such in my copending application entitled Reinforced Partitioned Carrier 7and Method 'of Making It, Serial No. 145,634, filed-February 23, 1950'5 The carrier has side walls, one of which is illustrated at l, and walls 8 and 9, lateral partition elements IO, and a longitudinal partition cut away above the tops of the side walls to present two upstanding colums i l and'|2, surmounted by a multi-thickness rigid cross bar 5.3; In the particular carrier the spaced columns Hi and-112 fare of at least double thickness and hence rigid, and the longitudinal partition structure is braced by triangular upwardly extendi'ng portions 8a of the end wall elements (see Figure 2).

The specific structure of this carrier is not a limitation on the present invention. At the same time it is exemplary of a particular form of carrier with which myv novel handle coacts in an exemplary fashion. In Figures 1 to 4 the handle is shown in place, andv it will be evident thatthe inward sides of the column portions Hy and |2 are the parts of the carrier primarily engage'd by the handle, and that this engagement is due to the defiections of the lower ends of the legs of the handle. The handle -is shown in its lowermost position in Figures'l and 2, Whereas the solid line showing of Figure 4 illustrates the handle in its uppermost position. The "ends of the hook portions of my handle engage the inner edges of the column elements H and 12 andride up and down tl1ereon.

It will be seen from-Figures 1, 3 and 4 that the bail portion l of the handle crosses the cross bar |3 of the paperboard'carrier. Hence, even if'the handle should become cocked, as shown in dotted lines in Fig'ure 4,'it cannot be lacciclentally dislodged` from thecarrier, but must` remain at'- tached to and in substantial parallelism with the longitudinalipartition structure. It is not difficult deliberately to engage and disengageimy handle since the' leg portions thereof may be fiexed toward each other for this purpose, but' accidental' dislodgment 'is greatly minimizecl' Since one leg of the handlev lies on each side' of the 'cross'bar' 13, an'additional'factor enforcing general parallelism between'thehandlefand the longitudinal partition structure is provided. The distance 'betweenthe outermost portions of the defiection's herehiabove'described is,'of course, greater than the distance between the inner edges of the column-elements 'll and'i.

In 'Figure 6 I have shown my handle in engage-- ment with'a longitudinal'partition element I ll 'of another style of ca'rrier. Although this partition element is shown as ris'ing V`somewhat above 'the tops of the side walls of the'carr'ier, such'asl'the side wall"|5,'it'wil1 be und'erst'ood'that the partition'element "14 may z-be'terminated at or even? below' the' to'ps` of the side'walls of the oarrier if desired, and thelegs of the handle appropri-v ately lengthened: Figur'e 6,howevei', shows the engagement` of `my handle' with a-longitudina'l' partition'which is provided 'with Vertical slots 'I 8 and! 1.V In' this event the deflections of the` lower' ends of 'the legs 'and 'their reversely bent portions' may be either outwa'rd or'inward as desired.`

Figure 7 illustrates the'en'g'a'gem'ent of my han'' dle with a long'itudin'al par'tition'elemen't 18 having a hand' hole 'I 9. while Figure' showsthe' eri- 'gagement of my handle element with a longitudinal partition 20 having a pair of finger holes 2| and 22. Figures 5, 7 and 8 are illustrative of the fact that my novel handle can be employed with any of the known styles of paperboard bottle carriers hitherto employed with handles having hook portions at the lower ends of the legs, and can be engaged in any of the openings in such carriers hitherto provided for the reception of hooked handles, while aifording the extra advantages of stability, avoidance of cocking, avoidance of displacement and avoidance of accidental dislodgment.

Another form of handle structure is illustrated in Figures 10 and 11. This handle structure has a bail portion 23 and depending legs 24 and 25. End portions of these legs are bent over, as at 2B and 21; and the bent-over portions will lie at a substantial angle respectively to the legs 241 and 25. Between the lower ends of these legs and the bent-over portions, there are offset portions 2% and 29, so coniigured that the bent-over portions 2b and 21 do not lie in the same plane as the legs 2d and 25. Preferably they are offset from that plane by a distance substantially equivalent to the thickness of the partition element of the carrier with which this handle will be used. By reason of the fact that the handle in use will, as set forth above, and as illustrated in Figure 10, cross the partition element, the bentover portions 25 and 21 are preferably so disposed as to lie in face-to-face engagement with opposite sides of the partition element, while the bail portion crosses the element at a slight angle, as is illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawngs. Thus the bent-over portions 25 and 21 will lie in slightly spaced substantially parallel planes, which planes are at a slight angle, preferably, to the plane established by the bail portion 23 and the legs 24 and 25. The offset portions 28 and 29 are oppositely directed.

The handle illustrated in Figures 10 and 11 is of simple form, uses a minimum of Wire or rod material, and is inexpensive to manufacture. In use, in the carrying position, it occupies the position shown in solid lines in Figure 10. It will be observed in this figure that the leg portion 24 lies to the face side of the partition structure l l, |2, l3, as the observer views the gure, while the bent-over portion 25 attached to the leg 24 lies to the rear side. Conversely, the leg portion 25 passes to the rear side of the partition element, while its bent-over portion 21 lies to the face side. As a consequence, the bail portion 23 crosses the top of the partition, as has already been explained. The offset portions 28 and 29 substantially coincide with the inner edges of the column portions Il and 12 of the partition. It will be understood, however, that the handle element of Figures 10 and 11 is suitable for use with any of those perforations in a partition element such as have been described in connection with Figures 6, '7 and 8.

In its lower or depressed position, the handle is illustrated in dot-dash lines in Figures 10 at 30. It will be noted here that in the exemplary embodiment the bail portion 23 of the handle is made to have an effective length greater than the distance between the inner edges of columns H and 12 of the partition structure, and that the leg portions 24 and 25 slant inwardly from top to bottom. As a consequence, in the lowermost position each leg and its associated parts will coact to engage both sides of the partition. Thus the leg 24 will engage the face side of coltions 31 6 umn l I while its bent-over portion 26 will engage the rear side thereof. The bent-over portion 21 of the opposite leg will engage the face side of the column 12 while the leg itself, 25, will engage the rear side of the column 12. This gives a particularly stable construction not liable to disengagement. A tilted or cocked condition of the handle is illustrated at 31 in Figure 10. It will be seen here that the leg 24 still engages the face side of column ll while its bent-over portion 26 engages the reverse side. The leg 25 has moved away from the column E2; but it still engages the rear side of the upper bar member i of the partition, while its bent-over portion 21 engages the face side of column 12. In none of these positions is thehandle liable to disengagement from or tilting with respect to the partition.

Were the handle of Figures 10 and 11 to be engaged in slots such as the slots it and ll of the structure of Figure 6, the bail portion could be made of lesser length than the distance between the inner edges of the slots, and the same effect obtained. In this instance the bent-over' portions 25 and 21 could be turned either outwardly or inwardly, as desired.

Yet another form of handle is illustrated in Figures 12 and 13. Here there is a bail portion 32 and depending legs 33 and 343. The lower ends of these legs are turned over horizontally as at 35 and 36, and are then reversely bent as at 31 and 38 to provide loops or bights. The ends of the loops as at 31 and 38 are preferably extended beyond the legs 33' and 3d as shown. The loops or bights are also oppositely directed, the porand 38 extending respectively to opposlte sides of the plane established by the legs 33 and 34 and the bail portion 32. As will be apparent from Figure 12, the bail portion of this handle is made wider than the distance between the inner edges of the column portion H and 12 of a carrier partition, where the carrier is of the type illustrated in Figure 12. This means that in both the uppermost and lowermost positions of the handle, the legs 33 and 3d will lie outwardly of the inner edges of the partition column elements. The closed end of the loops or bights will substantially correspond to the inner edges of these columns. When installed, as in Figure 12, with the bail portion crossing the partition element leg 33 will lie to the face side of the column II, while its portion 31 will lie to the rear side. Conversely, leg 3d will lie to the rear side of column 12 while its portion 38 will lie to the face side. A cocked position of the handle is shown in dot-dash lines at 39 in Figure 12, and it will be seen that the same relationship is maintained.

Again the handle structure shown in Figures 12 and 13 may be engaged with slots or openings of any of the types shown in Figures 6, 'I and 8. Where slots, such as the slots 16 and H of Figure 6 are employed, it beoomes possible to make the bail portion 32 narrower than the distance between the inner edges of these slots and to turn the bights or loops so that their closed ends lie outwardly instead of nwardly of the handle structure, and accomplish the same effect.

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit thereof. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a bottle carrier, the combination of a paperboard carton having a central partition with at least one opening therein presenting opposed vertically disposed edge portions for engagement by a vertically slidable wire handle. 

